Hades
by illocust
Summary: Shiro tells his Prince, Keith, a story about the lonely god Hades.


_**Entry for Day Two of Sheith Month.**_

* * *

"Would you like to hear a story my prince?" Shiro's voice is soft, drifting quietly up from where his head is resting on Keith's chest. The evening at the court had been long, tiring. Relaxing with his slave's warm form curled against his own, as Shiro's melodic tones lures him into peaceful sleep, sounds like the perfect end to his exhausting day.

"I suppose, I could listen to one of your tales." Keith says, scratching Shiro's scalp just the way he knows he likes it. Many in the court would be appalled, if they knew just how much he indulged his spoils of war. A former enemy as a slave was meant to show superiority of the owner, not be a position of pampering.

Shiro gave a sigh of pleasure at the touch, before starting his tale, "Long ago, there was a God of the Underworld," Keith almost huffs out laughter at another story about humans and their love for superior beings ruling over them, but he smothers it at the last moment. Shiro pouts when Keith mocks his species, and really he prefers the human's smile so much more, "His name was Hades, and he was both the oldest and one of the most powerful gods. Among humans his name was only spoken in whispers, because all knew that hero or pauper every man would one day become a subject of the Lord Hades domain." Hmmm, not as flashy as the war gods, Shiro sometimes spoke of, but he like the fear and power the god invoke. He hoped dearly he wouldn't be the villain of this tale. He hated stories were the weak little farm boy overthrew his rightful ruler with the aid of a talking mouse. The world simply didn't work that way.

"But for all his power, Hades was lonely. The dead quickly became nothing but shades. Forgetful ghosts that couldn't grant him the simplest conversation. Hades longed for true companionship, someone to speak to and possibly even love." Keith's heart pang in empathy for the god. He knew what is was like to have everything one could desire and not a single person to share it with. Unlike the dead, courtiers and nobility could hold a conversation, but they could never be trusted. Any information given was a weapon forged to stab him in the back.

"Then one day the young goddess Persephone stumbled into his lands. Hades desperate for any company, whisked her away to the hospitality of his home. They entertained one another late into the night and early the next morning. The Lord Hades found himself absolutely smitten with the young goddess, and when it came time for her to return to her home above the earth, he came up with a plan to abate his loneliness for all time," He found himself dearly hoping the gods plan worked, so many of these stories had sad endings. Shiro would have to tell him another happier tale, if Hades ended up alone in his Kingdom for all eternity.

Shiro shifted so he could look up at Keith, reaching out to stroke his cheek, as if he could read his prince's mind and knew to assure him. When Keith leaned into his hand, he continued, "See there are special rules about food in the Underworld. If you are ever to taste it, you become an eternal part of the dead Kingdom and may not ever truly leave. Persephone's mother had warned her to never accept an offer to dine from the Lord Hades, but she had not told her why. The young goddess dutifully refused any food Hades presented that night, yet when he offered a parting gift of three pomegranate seeds, she saw no harm in taking the small snack for her journey. With those three seeds, Hades ensnared Persephone and assured she could never leave his kingdom."

Keith smiles, "And they lived happily ever after right?" That was how these types of stories normally ended, and the lonely god certainly deserved his happiness.

Shiro chuckled, "The story doesn't end there my prince." He corrected, and Keith frowned. Nothing that could be added would be end the tale in a better place, "Persephone's mother was the goddess of harvest, and when she learned that her daughter could not leave the land of the undead she grew distraught. She cursed the lands so that no crops would grow until the other gods forced Hades to return her daughter to her."

"If she wanted to see her daughter so badly, she should have gone down to the Underworld to visit her." Keith says. He keeps to himself that if she was really that lonely she should have had another child. She could produce as many offsprings as she wanted, but Persephone was the only company Hades had. It wasn't fair to demand he should be lonely, when she had another choice.

"It wasn't that simple," Shiro shakes his head.

"Why not?" It seemed a perfectly reasonable solution to him.

"Because her daughter was a hostage. She wanted her to be free." What Shiro said made sense in the real world, but this was a story. Things didn't have to happen that way in stories.

"Was Hades mistreating her?" Keith asks.

"No-" Keith cuts Shiro off before he can continue, "Then she should have been happy that someone who would treasure and protect her daughter was taking care of her. She was likely much safer in the underworld than she had been above ground. Hades would never let her wander into traps like her mother had."

Shiro grimaces, "That's…that's.." Shiro sighs, "May I continue the story my prince?" Keith nods, he does wish to know the fate of the characters, "So Persephone's mother curse the crops to not grow, and no matter how much the other Gods begged, she refused to lift the curse until her daughter was returned." Hopefully the older goddess ends up dead. He can't imagine anyone would mind when her temper tantrum was starving a whole species, "Eventually Zeus, Hades brother, had to intervene before all of humanity was killed. He went to his brother and appealed to his better nature." Which if Hades had any sense at all he shot down with a laugh. He'd do so, if Lotor ever tried to convince him to give up Shiro to appease the Alteans.

"Zeus noticed that over the time Hades had held Persephone hostage he had grown to love the young goddess. He showed Hades how much his love longed to see her mother again, and convinced the King of the Underworld, that if he truly care for her he would let them be together again. Zeus worked out a deal where part of the year she would reside above the earth with her mother and the other part she would return to keep Hades company in the underworld."

"That's foolish. If he loved her he would never agree to that deal." How could you claim to love someone if you were willing to be separated from them?

"If you love someone you let them do what makes them happy," Shiro says softly, and suddenly Keith realizes the point of this entire tale. This is a morality play. A way to try and change Keith's mind, through a thin veil of entertainment.

"If you love someone," Keith takes Shiro's head in his hands and pulls his beloved slave close, "You keep them where they are safe, and someday they will realize they are happy."

One day, Shiro will understand.


End file.
